"Bush Experience"

[greygraham]

I've been looking for a job flying around the Top End and around some of the less populated areas of Australia. A lot of the job specs mention they'd like the candidate to have "Bush Experience".

Now, apart from what I get on the last Sunday of every month, what would those of you who have it, classify as "Bush Experience" - desert strips? Strange weather? Odd locals? Low arousal levels? Or a combination of all these and a certain zen-like oneness with nature?

Thanks,

gg

[Aussie Bob]

Sounds to me like:

Hot with blowflies
Dry, dusty, no social life
Old aeroplanes and low pay
Living in a dump

Done it on and off most of my life and I love it.

Where I am it is:

Cold, wet and windy when it is not stinking hot and windy
The locals are OK in small doses but there is no social life
The aeroplane floats and the pay is OK

[The Green Goblin]

Bush experience.

Basically it means operating in the bush and all the problems it entails.

The bush here is a fair bit different to what you have probably done in the UK.

It means operating on your own in a remote location deprived of any support where you have to make appropriate decisions based on the lack of information you have available. In a military role such as you are used to, you will receive a brief prior to a mission. This will give you all the information you need to operate accordingly.

Bush flying generally means you make it up and react as you go.

For me it was operating for months without seeing a sealed road. For others it means flying from a capital city to a regional destination and back. For the real unlucky ones it means being based in a community somewhere in the middle of the tropics and all the social problems it entails.

Whatever the case, it means you need to work independently with minimal support, flying aeroplanes that are older than you are in arduous conditions.

By arduous I mean hot as hell, 100% humidity, severe weather associated with a tropical wet season, passengers with a different culture and beliefs you may find very strange, hygiene issues, unserviceable aircraft the company may not necessarily find it urgent to fix, which you are still required to dispatch, low pay, two sets of flight and duty times (the real ones and the ones for CASA), overweight aeroplanes, no flight planning facilities, and the list goes on.

I'm sure you have the remote strip experience in a herc, however you would have had a team of people to assist you.

In the bush it's just you.

I had a ball and it has made me a better decision maker as a result.

Unfortunately this experience is not desired anymore by major airline managers. It apparently can be trained into Pilots by a third party organisation who bid for the work at the lowest cost.

As a Captain flying with cadets I have had them try to kill me in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. It's not so much lack of experience which is the major problem, it's the lack of respect they have for the machine. It hasn't almost killed them yet and therefore they have not developed a healthy respect for aviation. They have always had someone to hold their hand and the ego is out of proportion with their ability. It's easy to look good in a modern aircraft. It's easy to kill a large amount of people quickly too. Look at the Air France A330. Managers only see cost. They don't see value.

Enough of the rambling.

Go fly a turboprop for a regional mate. There are plenty of operators who will take you now and you can avoid the above.

[solowflyer]

It has been nearly 3 years since I was in the top end and can still remember the smell:yuk:. Loved the experience though good memories.

[compressor stall]

It's not about the bush time per se It's about the CP knowing he can trust you to:

Fly to a place not marked on any map
Work out the way to land as there isn't a windsock
Sort out 7 squabbling locals for only 5 seats
Use HF
Live in a donger
Scud run
Know how much rain will turn a dirt strip u/s
Not vomit no matter how bad the smell
Know what can be carried to get an aircraft back to maintenance
etc etc.

Nothing is hard or rocket science, but some city folk who've never flown outside he circuit don't exhibit this sort of common sense or solution based attitudes, hence the requirement.

[JMEN]

CS - Very well said!

All about thinking outside the box.

:D

[cficare]

a "can do" attitude...

[NGsim]

Great advice to get used to thinking outside the box, because if you go really remote you won't be inside the box for a very long time....

[jas24zzk]

damm right..........a full length drive of the UK away from the nearest maintenance, and the nose oleo goes flat.......you gunna walk or rope it?
Not something you will learn in the c(sh)ity.

Prolly not something you would do to a SAAB or similar, but i think you get the idea.

I will say tho, the hurdle that is getting up to date information is fast dissapearing. As little as 5 years ago, many places you had to beg to borrow a fax just to get the forecast, now most places have just enough technology to enable you to get it on your Iphone. Technology is certainly helping the bush pilot (i still rue the demise of the CDMA network) to make more informed decisions.

Yep as the others have said, Its a matter of being able to operate individually, without a support team to wipe your arse

[Howard Hughes]

I got mine on the singles scene in the 80's/90's, not a lot of 'bush experience' to be had these days...:E

PS: As usual CS sums it up perfectly!:ok:

[Ejector]

Aussie Bob, Where is your bush?

Cold, wet and windy when it is not stinking hot and windy
The locals are OK in small doses but there is no social life
The aeroplane floats and the pay is OK

[Ejector]

CS, please explain, what do you mean ?

Not vomit no matter how bad the smell

[donderwolkje]

If you need to ask, you havent been there yet!!

Regards

[MACH082]

Sometimes you dry heave due to the nature of the payload.

Vicks vapor rub is used vigourously under the nostrils on occasion. :ok:

[compressor stall]

And it's not always the pax.

Rotting turtle and dugong meat and post rigor mortis goannas are common cargo to funerals.

[MACH082]

Or a body that's been in the sun for a while :eek:

[Howard Hughes]

Or crocodile (are you sure it's dead mate?), or fly infested hind quarter of Buffalo...;)

Hmm...dangerous goods anyone?

[compressor stall]

Actually 400kgs of live crocodiles was probably the most overpowering smell I have had to date (as opposed to gut wrenching).

[cancel_speed]

"Bush Experience"

You are prepared to be away from your wife and kids
You don't mind flying clapped out aeroplanes
You don't mind living in the middle of nowhere
You use initiative
You are willing to go the extra mile for the boss
You are not expecting to make lots of $$$

I am sure there a couple i have missed but overall i think that covers it

[jas24zzk]

You made my night enjoyable ole bean :ok:


"Bush Experience"

You are prepared to be away from your wife and kids

Don't have any, but i do have mother instead :ugh:


You don't mind flying clapped out aeroplanes

Compass 15deg out? thats what 1:60's fix


You don't mind living in the middle of nowhere

Current location not exactly the centre of the universe anyway

You use initiative

You don't need to be told you need fuel.


You are willing to go the extra mile for the boss
Is he/she cute, it could make the difference you know


You are not expecting to make lots of $$$

Its most likely more than I earn now.


sign me up :ok:

[Tee Emm]

It's not about the bush time per se It's about the CP knowing he can trust you to:

Never write snags in the maintenance release and cop the CASA punishment if they catch you.
Take off just a teenie weenie bit overweight if it means winning the charter,
Conveniently disregard legal duty times if it means winning the charter.
Disconnect the tacho when he tells you to. :mad:

[MACH082]

Quote:
Disconnect the tacho when he tells you to.
Havn't heard this one before, would make for some pretty interesting paperwork

What paperwork? It's VFR, it didn't happen :eek:

Most of the ones I flew didn't have tachos or air switches. In fact non of them did. You recorded the flight time with the timer on the ADF if installed, or your wheels off wheels on times.

[greygraham]

Away from the wife and kids, knackered ageing aircraft, minimal support, stinking cargo, living in the middle of nowhere - I think I'm over qualified at the moment!

Thanks for the replies, believe it or not there's some pretty useful stuff there.

[cancel_speed]

Disconnect the tacho when he tells you to.

Havn't heard this one before, would make for some pretty interesting paperwork

[mtrench]

croc eggs smelt just as bad..